ladbible homepage
ladbible homepage
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK
    • US
    • World
    • Ireland
    • Australia
    • Science
    • Crime
    • Weather
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV
    • Film
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • Netflix
    • Disney
  • Sport
  • Technology
  • Travel
  • Lifestyle
  • Money
  • Originals
    • FFS PRODUCTIONS
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Archive
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube
Submit Your Content Here
  • SPORTbible
  • Tyla
  • GAMINGbible
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • FOODbible
  • UNILAD Tech
Martin Lewis warned against using debit cards that are now becoming 'danger cards'

Home> News

Published 16:58 10 Aug 2024 GMT+1

Martin Lewis warned against using debit cards that are now becoming 'danger cards'

Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis explained why debit cards 'are now danger cards'

Britt Jones

Britt Jones

google discoverFollow us on Google Discover

There's nothing wrong with using your debit card every now and then but financial expert Martin Lewis has warned that if you rely on it, you're making a big mistake.

This is because they are 'danger cards'.

If you're still confused as to why this is, Lewis opened about why they can come with pitfalls on The Martin Lewis Money Show Live.

Now, a debit card is something the vast majority of us use daily, whether it's to go on the milk and bread run or to splash out on something a little more lavish.

Advert

Many of us use our debit card to access our cash on a daily basis. (Getty Stock Image)
Many of us use our debit card to access our cash on a daily basis. (Getty Stock Image)

On the face of it debit cards are pretty simple, you use the card to pay for something with money from your bank account instead of using cash.

They're different to credit cards where you pay for things with money borrowed from your bank and you have to pay off the debt built up on a regular basis.

However, the Money Saving Expert explained that the cards we so heavily rely on to pay for our daily expenses can mean that we're liable to falling into debt.

But it's not just your debit card you need to be wary of, it's the overdrafts attached to your account.

Yes, the thing that allows people to access money they don't have once they completely run out of funds.

Martin Lewis warned interest rates on most overdrafts are 'double' than the average credit card. (Getty Stock Image)
Martin Lewis warned interest rates on most overdrafts are 'double' than the average credit card. (Getty Stock Image)

Lewis went on to say that those interest rates on most overdrafts are 'double' than the average credit card you can get from any high street bank.

These rates now stand at around 40 percent and can even jump to 49.9 percent for some banks.

This is a crazy amount compared to credit cards which have an average interest rate of around 24.3 percent APR.

Obviously this depends a whole lot on which card you go for, the term and what your credit score looks like but it's still a lot less than an overdraft and it can build up your score as you spend and pay back.

Lewis noted: "Most consumer overdrafts are now 40 percent, double a high street credit card, which means debit cards are now danger cards if you're overdrawn."

He explained it could be worth asking your bank whether there was the possibility of a zero percent overdraft, if not, there is also the option of getting a zero percent credit card.

"Now the first thing if you're overdrawn is to check your eligibility for a zero percent overdraft and to what amount," he said.

"People also ask me, can I shift my overdraft onto a zero percent card? The answer is yes, but only a few specialist cards. It's called a money transfer.

"With a money transfer card you apply for a new card and it pays the money into the bank account for you so you can get rid of your overdraft, you now owe the card.

"It's best for large overdrafts, you need a decent credit history."

The financial expert explained why debit cards 'are now danger cards'. (ITV)
The financial expert explained why debit cards 'are now danger cards'. (ITV)

The financial guru said that the best way of using an overdraft, if you have to, is to set up direct debits just before payday, to reduce the amount of time that you are overdrawn.

He also added that if you've got multiple debts, it's important to get them in order of interest rate amounts, prioritising the largest.

"Then you take all the spare cash you possibly have and you pay the highest interest rate ignoring the others," Lewis said.

"When this one goes, you then focus on clearing the next-highest interest rate.

"Once that goes, you clear the next and the next and so on.

"It's known as snowballing and it means you get rid of your debts more quickly."

Featured Image Credit: ITV/Getty Stock Images

Topics: Martin Lewis, Money

Britt Jones
Britt Jones

Recommended reads

Singer D4vd charged with first degree murder after teenage girl’s remains were discovered in his Tesla(Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Support + Feed)Katie Price calls out 'disgusting human' Dapper Laughs for joke comedian made about son HarveyMark Robert Milan/GC ImagesChatGPT and Claude down for users in global outageSEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty ImagesWhere the Saved By The Bell cast are now after Patrick Muldoon dies at 57(Chelsea Guglielmino/Getty Images)

Advert

Choose your content:

a minute ago
2 hours ago
3 hours ago
  • (Michael Kovac/Getty Images for Support + Feed)
    a minute ago

    Singer D4vd charged with first degree murder after teenage girl’s remains were discovered in his Tesla

    The body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was recovered from the boot of his car in September 2025

    News

    breaking

  • SEBASTIEN BOZON/AFP via Getty Images
    2 hours ago

    ChatGPT and Claude down for users in global outage

    OpenAI has suggested that it is 'investigating' the issue

    News

    breaking

  • Wise County Sheriff's Department
    3 hours ago

    FedEx driver who kidnapped and killed girl, 7, writes letter to her family and police from jail

    Tanner Horner apologised to Athena Strand's loved ones for 'taking their little angel away' in a two-page letter

    News
  • Getty Stock Photo
    3 hours ago

    True impact of weed on brain according to hundreds of thousands of scans

    They found differing results depending on age and usage

    News
  • Martin Lewis warns against using debit cards saying they are now 'danger cards'
  • Martin Lewis explains whether you should keep heating on low all day or turn it on when needed
  • Martin Lewis says most people should pay credit card debts right now
  • Martin Lewis says there’s one simple text Brits should send that could save millions money on phone bill